Allan Mulally has already lived a very successful life, having helped save American icon Boeing, then taking over the reigns as Ford Motor Company's Chief Executive Officer. Now he has added 'the guy that saved President Bush' to the list. Mr. Mulally used his media audience at the New York Auto Show to tell a pretty great story about his recent trip to the White House.
Ford Motor wanted to give President Bush a first-hand look at their hydrogen electric plug-in hybrid, so the company arranged to have a demonstration of the uber-tech Ford Edge right from the White House lawn. When walking with the President towards the vehicle, Mulally noticed that the extension cord was placed to the rear of the car, where the Hydrogen fuel tank resides, instead of the side of the car. As Mulally saw the President approach the rear of the car, he decided that he should physically grab the president and "make sure he plugged into the electricity, not into the hydrogen."
We obviously don't know for sure whether or not the leader of the free world would have stuck an electrified cord into the Edge's Darwin-hole, but we do think it was a damn good idea Mulally stepped in to make sure Mr. Bush did the right thing. We don't think Ford's green initiative would have been able to recover if the company's best and brightest technology fried the President. Then again, given the approval numbers of Mr. Bush... we kid, we kid.
Thanks for the tip Chris!
[Source: Detroit News via Think Progress]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
upirons @ Apr 9th 2007 8:17AM
That right there should be a lesson for Ford. If it's really that easy to plug into the hydrogen port and potentially blow up your neighborhood then it's just not safe enough for the general public. Then again, a monkey could probably figure it out. A monkey could probably run the country better too.
John P. @ Apr 9th 2007 8:32AM
let the bashing begin. I seriously doubt that they were ever in any danger, but quick thinking anyway on Mulally's part.
JC3 @ Apr 9th 2007 8:37AM
I'm not sure what the point of this article is other than to bait the anti Bush hacks.
Frank @ Apr 9th 2007 8:42AM
God, what up with you, is it a short auto news day or something? This is a joke right? Did I sign on to Comicblog? Ok I'll give it a try - If Kerry had been president and done that and he would have applied for a Purple Heart. Ha ha. I'm comic genius!
Ok please wake me up when you have something to report about Auto related. Not gold plated CEO's and politicians (sometimes I wonder if they are the same thing under the skin).
jwer @ Apr 9th 2007 8:47AM
1st sentence: reins, not reigns.
Doug @ Apr 9th 2007 8:57AM
So if Bush had plugged in the cord to the hydrogen tank and blown the place up (note to Ford Engineers: fix design ASAP), Not only would Bush and Mulally have been reduced to particle board, but from the looks of the picture, Cheney would have been as well.
Were that the case Nancy Pelosi would be our President.
Interesting story, thanks for posting.
Shawn @ Apr 9th 2007 9:08AM
I think this autoblog entry can be marked as political commentary than automotive news. Nothing would have happened even if you mistaken the hygrogen intake for the electric inlet, you still can't "blow up" the car.
Maybe you can have a Autoblog-Politics to go alone with Autoblog-Green...and keep this garbage over there.
felipe @ Apr 9th 2007 9:27AM
so many pissed off people this monday... get to work!
should've let'm plug it in.
SteveS @ Apr 9th 2007 9:46AM
Bush has the ultimate insurance policy that can be summed up in three words: President Dick Cheney....
Luis Pichardo @ Apr 9th 2007 11:17AM
Why did you stopped him?
How come the 2 holes were nearly identical, and nobody told Mr. B that which one he was supposed to plug-in, uhm, How come this is the first time in History that after 600-working-prototypes of electric cars THIS one was sent to Bush, maybe Al-Qaeda sent it. LOL
How come nobody has made-up a conspiracy abaout this? Maybe i should call Michael Moore.
Chris Shunk: it was a great post.
Jeff @ Apr 9th 2007 11:30AM
Jeez, some people need to lighten up. Its a funny story that has to do with a prototype for a very interesting kind of car. If you don't wanna read about, then just don't! It doesn't take much to skim over an article to see if you wanna read the details or not. I don't go an post comments under every article i'm not interested in to tell Autoblog not to bother writing about that stuff.
Its a funny story, but I doubt anything bad really would've happened, I mean Bush woulda figured it out eventually, look at this picture:
http://www.mobilemag.com/images/fordegehybrid05.jpg
elt100 @ Apr 9th 2007 11:57AM
So let's see: Ford shows up with an exciting product, with brand-new thechnology that could change the face of the business, and maybe change the whole way we think about fueling our cars with something other than imported oil, (and it's not a micro-car, it's a crossover with seating for 5 and room for cargo), and all of you import-loving morons can do is make jokes about George Bush. If that vehicle was a Toyota, you would be falling all over yourselves trumpeting how great the product is, and how Toyota has triumphed again. You guys really make me sick...
Evotec @ Apr 9th 2007 12:05PM
I heard Al-Queida is not very happy about that... :)
mr friggles @ Apr 9th 2007 12:08PM
Evotec, neither is the rest the of the free world ;|
Frank @ Apr 9th 2007 12:14PM
I've got a question for all you enviro nuts out there. Who is smarter, the Democrats running congress or President Bush? Now before you answer that question read his State of the Union speech from 2006. You can read every presidents SOTU speeches at this website:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/sou.php
Now look at all the references to alternative energy and kicking the nations dependence on oil (remember he said we are "addicted to oil"?). Look at the a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research proposed, zero-emission coal-fired plants (no foreign oil) proposals, his goal to make ethanol "practical and competitive within 6 years". After his speech he started touring alternative energy companies and development labs to promote them and give them press time.
This represents a major change for a (supposedly) conservative Republican. Now ask yourself what the Dumbocrats have done since this major change in policy? NOTHING, zip, zero, nada. But why? Now is their chance to get him to go along with all kinds of enviromental proposals, carbon credits, burning cow dung, you name it. But they haven't done a thing, even after Pelosi, the Diva of Damascus, said she wanted to work with the president in a "bipartisan" way.
I hate to break it to you enviro faithful out there but the dems don't care. Let me say that again so that it sinks in, THEY DON'T GIVE A FLYING F'CK ABOUT YOUR CAUSE! Oh, I know they say they do. They say a lot of good things. That's so you will give them political contributions and vote for them. Once they have that well... you can stick your environmentalism where the sun don't shine.
If they were true believers like you they would seize this golden opportunity and work with the President and ACTUALLY GET THINGS DONE INSTEAD OF JUST COMPLAINING ABOUT THEM. No, they are too determine to damage President Bush politically anyway they can because they are politicians first and foremost. Your concerns, your issues, are secondary. If they get around to it they might throw a piece of legislation your way and call it day.
I hope you guys and gals are satisfied with table scraps. 'Cause that's all you are gonna get if you don't hold the dems feet to the fire. But you go on complaining about President Bush if it makes you feel better. That's what the dems are hoping you do too.
upirons @ Apr 9th 2007 12:21PM
@Frank
Enviro-nuts? You make it sound like caring about the world you live in is a bad thing.
I'll chip in if you'd like to leave the earth in that case. Anyone with me?
dejal @ Apr 9th 2007 12:56PM
So why coundn't Chris SKunk post a picture of the act, showing Bush attempting to plug into the back of the car? Maybe there is, but you're too lazy to post the smoking gun.
Because it didn't happen, and it's only some halfwits conjecture that it would. The halfwit statement includes Mulally who so far hasn't seemed to do much, other than sign off on a rappers edition of a Ford SUV.
The picture above doesn't come close to matching the above text.
"Mulally noticed that the extension cord was placed to the rear of the car, where the Hydrogen fuel tank resides, instead of the side of the car. As Mulally saw the President approach the rear of the car, he decided that he should physically grab the president and "make sure he plugged into the electricity, not into the hydrogen." "
Let's see:
a picture of Bush standing by SIDE of SUV.
Bush NOT standing at back of the SUV.
Is Mulally touching Bush in any way? Nope
Bush, with an electrical cord.
So, what is it Crissy, is that that an electrical port or not? Sure looks like the right cord for the right port.
This week is BushchimpyMchitler is an idiot week.
Next week is evil genius week.
mr friggles @ Apr 9th 2007 1:03PM
The real question is why did Mulally stop Bush from doing what he wanted to do?? He's the "Decider" after all, so if he wants to stick an electric outlet in a hydrogen tank then he's gonna do it. Did Bush later accuse Mulally of being against the troops for trying to stop him??
iQuack @ Apr 9th 2007 3:20PM
If there'd been any way to ignite Ford's new Hindenburg on wheels, it would be Ford's bad design, not Bush's stupidity. And I'd prefer Bush's brand of stupidity to any Democrat's brand of stupidity which is worse IMO.
Mike @ Apr 9th 2007 4:30PM
IQuack,
This is a way early PROTOTYPE, not a production vehicle, you're just looking for an excuse to bash Ford because Toyota or Honda didn't come up with this technology first.